


Winterhaven

by PockyGhost



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Child!Hannibal, M/M, child!Will, kid AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-06-06 02:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6734734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PockyGhost/pseuds/PockyGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal is a young prince, and when one day a Queen from a neighboring country gives birth in his castle, Hannibal and the baby form an inseparable bond.  </p>
<p>They grow up together and love each other as fierce friends, as close as Hannibal and his sister Mischa.</p>
<p>Then one day Hannibal's world is turned upside down. How will he set everything back to rights?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU in a different world, where both Hannibal and Will are princes. Hannibal lives in Winterhaven, and Will in Westmorland. 
> 
> I really couldn't come up with a better summary, hopefully over the course of the story I can come up with something better. Until then, please enjoy :)

On a vast continent filled with many warring countries and cultures, there was a small kingdom surrounded by tall and treacherous mountains on ever side. Few had dared to trek into the land, Winterhaven, and even fewer still had attempted to lead an army across the mountains when the kingdom was so very isolated and peaceful. The Lecters created a monarchy during one harsh winter when bandits had hidden along all the trade paths and cut off any help. General Hannibal Lecter the first personally had taken his three sons and slaughtered the thieves, retrieving enough food to tide their city over until more supplies could be brought in and bought. Though the means were violent and only benefitted a few, no man argued when he was later crowned by one of the few magistrates in the kingdom. Winterhaven prospered under his leadership, and it was within his lifetime that Hannibal the first erected the halls of his own castle.

The Lecters had found no need to form alliances until the Grahams had conquered the coasts along the mountain borders and united to form Westmorland. With rigid determination and the knowledge of a past naval officer, Axton Graham was close enough to Winterhaven to pose a threat, but had instead offered even better trade opportunities than any previous offers with very little taxation. Ever since then, the royal families had been close. They recognized in each other intelligence and ability, among other individual gifts. None were so special, though, as Hannibal Lecter the third, and William Graham.

*~*~*~*~*

Hannibal the third was born a peculiar child—the nursemaids said he had not cried after he came out of his mother’s womb, covered in blood, that he just stared into the world and made sense of it. He had been born with a small second pinky on each of his little hands, and they said the wet-nurse who noticed it first screamed the boy awake until he looked directly into her eyes and she fainted. When she came to, the woman had tried to convince the serving girls that the baby was a demon. Simonetta and her husband instantly banished the hysteric girl, and with that lesson made no one ever again made a scene over Hannibal, no matter how odd a child he was.

He grew into a quiet child, never one to throw fits or cause his parents grief. Though he had never caused any mischief, there were servant still that feared him. It was a common myth in the surrounding countries that his family had sold their souls to Devils to keep their power and some claimed that his soul was bargained for before he was even born. Those who were caught spreading the rumor were replaced by people more open minded to care for their serious little master. 

Hannibal thus was raised to know very little of hate—all he could remember hearing of it was that his mummy hated it when the snow was too deep for riding in, and that his father hated to see her sad. So Hannibal was raised with gentleness and love, every whim indulged as he so seldom had whims. He was bright and motivated to learn about the world around him, and received a tutor for his fourth birthday who he often talked mathematics and history with.

It was during one such discussion, as his tutor explained that one could determine the height of the castle by measuring the length of the shadow and comparing it to a reference shadow, when Hannibal spotted a carriage slowly fighting its way up from the southern pass through the snow. Few travelers came from the southern pass, and it was even stranger still to see that the carriage was decorated Westmoreland colors. The guards moved like ants far below to meet up with the unexpected visitors, and quickly escorted a woman into the castle. 

Hannibal was intrigued, but satisfied to be entertained by his tutor. Together they trekked through the snow in order to find a branch exactly one meter tall, and measure the shadow. They wrote the math out in the undisturbed banks, and at the end of their equations were greeted with harried wet-nurses in the hallways. 

The tutor stopped one of the maids to ask what was going on, and Hannibal overheard that it was the queen of Westmoreland. She had been visiting family and then on her way back home, when on the road her contractions started, and really there was no time to talk. The woman rushed farther down the hall to follow her peers toward the sound of someone groaning and screaming—presumably the foreign queen. Hannibal cared little for such things and convinced his teacher into the study for hot chocolate and a discussion of what else their little math game was good for.

Later that night, long after Hannibal had been accustomed to the sound of a distressed queen down the hall and fell asleep despite her noises, he woke to a much more delicate and intriguing noise. His curiosity got the better of him, and despite the chill he did not grab a robe or slippers before sneaking from his room. He followed the thin high wail down the hallway, rubbing his goose-pimpled arms to warm them, until he reached the doorway to his old nursery. He hadn’t been in it for at least a year, but he still remembered how the door would creak when opened more than halfway so he slipped in the smallest crack he could fit through.

Inside there were several low burning candles but it was empty of anyone. Hannibal crept even closer to the source of the noise—a bassinet tucked in the corner. He was unsure of why there would be an unattended baby in the royal nursery, and peeled back the covers over the crying child slowly.

The moment the infant’s eyes were revealed, they caught with Hannibal’s and the baby stopped crying. He recalled how he had heard whispers from the nursemaids gossiping about what an odd baby he had been to be able to look directly at someone from the day he was born, and felt a connection with the small thing abandoned in the nursery. Bright blue eyes watered again as Hannibal just stared, and started crying again as he did nothing. Carful of the fragility of the baby, Hannibal pushed over a stool to leverage himself up and cradle the baby. Once again the child quieted in his arms, and Hannibal looked down at him as if he were made of gold. The baby had a connection to him; he felt it as deep as a mother’s love.

Just as the baby had fallen asleep and Hannibal was about to walk back to his room to tuck them both in, a nursemaid fiddling with her skirts and one of the guards, Vladis Grutas, came in talking loudly an leaning towards each other. The nursemaid spotted him first and let out a surprised yelp.

“Hannibal! What are you doing with that baby? Put him down this instant!” She commanded sharply. Hannah had always been one of the stricter maids, but she had never been unkind without reason. Still, Hannibal did not feel compelled to follower her orders. The baby belonged to him, and he hugged it closer. 

“Did you not hear her, little master? She said put the child back,” Grutas sneered.

“No.”

Grutas approached and raised his arm, as if ready to strike, when the baby cried out louder and stronger than he had before. Through the door attached to another bedroom, they heard rustling and a tired voice called out through it, “Is he hungry again? He’s as insatiable as his father.”

The baby once again quieted and Hannah stuttered out, “No my lady, he was just a bit disturbed from his rest.”

“What do you mean?” The voice called back, and the separating door opened to reveal a pale but vital looking woman in a night robe with her sweaty hair pulled back in a dark braid.

“I’m sorry Queen Viola, the little prince here is a bit rebellious, I’ll escort him back immediately,” Grutas said, and took Hannibal by the shoulder to push him into giving the baby to Hannah.

Just before she took the baby back, the Queen Viola told them to wait. “Young man, what is your name?”

“Hannibal, miss,” he said and hugged the baby closer to shush him.

“Well Hannibal, it seems my William has taken a liking to you. Have you ever held a baby before?”

He told her that he had not, and the Queen called him over to her.

“If you want to be William’s caretaker, you have to know how to hold him properly, isn’t that right?” She smiled kindly at him and dismissed Grutas. Hannibal had never liked the guard anyways. “When people are so young, you need to support their head or it will just old right over, like this.” She guided his hands and arms so that William was held more gently, and told Hannah that Hannibal would be allowed to hold and visit the baby whenever he wanted.

“Little Princes need responsibility and friends, don’t they?” When Viola called him a little Prince, it was not in the mocking tone which Grutas often used. She said it sincerely, and Hannibal nodded to show that he agreed with her assessment. 

Long after the Queen had gone back to bed, and Hannah dozed off in her chair, Hannibal and Will stared into each other’s eyes, and were content.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this, Hannibal may seem a bit childish, but he is only five years old and even crazy dangerous cannibals were children once, so hopefully it seems authentic and not just out of character. Also, it's a bit jumpy but I didn't know really how to draw out this part.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy! :)

Viola was a strong and healthy woman, but it still took her many days of bedrest before she recovered from the strain of labor. Even if her condition had immediately improved, all the paths from Winterhaven to Westmorland were coated in snow and dangerously rickety or else took over a month of circumventing. So she and her baby stayed in the comfort and hospitality of Simonetta and King Liudvikas. 

Viola was well tended by the servants and came to find the great pleasure of friendship with her hostess, but perhaps the most contributing factor to her quick recovery was that she hardly had to bother with her son at all. One mousy wetnurse, Hannah, kept William fed and at all other times the baby was being tended by the little prince Hannibal.

In the morning, no matter how early she woke, Hannibal was already up and cradling Will. Sometimes she overheard him sing lullabies, sometimes he twirled them gently in a dance, but most often when she walked in she would find them gazing into each other’s eyes and smiling. Viola and Simonetta thought it was all very endearing.

“He’s always been an odd boy, our Hannibal, and so far above his peers that we’ve been afraid of giving him a sibling. But seeing him with your boy sets my heart to ease—you know, they say this next moon is a good night for girls, and I’ve always wanted a daughter,” Simonetta confided.

“He’s a perfect gentleman, I’m sure he’ll be just as doting on a sister,” Viola encouraged.

The days rolled on and it was a week after Will’s birth that King Corwin made it through the snowed-in passes to see his heir. He was quite predictably in a jovial mood, and shared a glass of brandy with Liudvikas as they watched their boys play.

“My wife tells me that your boy has been instrumental in the care of William, and he certainly seems to have a natural talent for it,” Corwin commented as they eavesdropped on Hannibal spinning a tale for the baby. “They say that the best kings are those with natural leadership, caretaking.”

Liudvikas saw the compliment being paid and nodded his thanks. “My Simonetta and I have been considering giving him a sibling to lord over and practice those kingly skills.” They laughed.

While their parents talked and laughed and bonded, Hannibal and Will lived as if in their own little world. The only moments they did not spend together was when Will was feeding, otherwise they were inseparable. Hannibal requested that a mattress be brought in for him and Viola had him indulged. The boys slept next to each other and when Will woke screaming in the middle of the night it was Hannibal who first answered his cries. He would calm the baby with tales of magic and explanations of complex mathematical theories. He learned to change Will’s cloth diapers and laugh unselfconsciously as only children and those in love can. 

Will’s father frequently traveled back and forth between their kingdoms for nearly two months, afraid of losing his wife and child to the unsteadiness of the mountain roads. Just at the two month mark, however, the snows had thawed enough to no longer conceal sudden drops and Viola insisted that she and her son were hardy enough to make the trip back to their sea-chaffed home. As enthused as she was to get back to her family, and the Lecters were to have their castle to themselves, Hannibal was dismayed to hear that Will would be leaving and his mood dragged down the baby’s.

The day that Viola and William were to leave, Will was an inconsolable mess and Hannibal was hardly better. The adults paid their farewells kindly with promises of open doors if ever there was a need, but Hannibal just clung tightly to the baby and it seemed like Will tried the same. But Hannibal was not one for overly emotional outbursts and when Will was taken from his arms he wishes Viola a safe trip and walked slowly back to his room.

There, safely alone, he sobbed into his pillow. After living every second of every day with Will for so long, he was immediately beginning to see how his days were going to be forlorn and desolate. His tutor came to knock on his door and draw him out with conversation, but Hannibal quietly requested that he leave. 

The first day was the hardest, and he even neglected meals as wallowed in melancholy. He sang songs and told stories to himself, Will the center of them all, and drew the baby’s face with as much control as a child could possess. At night Simonetta checked in on him herself and found his charcoal smudged handprints all over his cheeks where he had rubbed off tears. His face looked angelic in sleep, and she decided to share her news when the recent separation was no longer weighing so heavily on her boy. 

It took days still for Hannibal to leave his room for anything unnecessary, and when he did go back to talking with his tutor their discussions were hardly the enthusiastic learning experiences they had been previously. The Queen talked with a few of the ladies of the court for advice, but even people so removed from her son had heard twisted rumors about him all his life and none of them gave any real guidance. It was finally with much insistence from his wife that Liudvikas asked the tutor for advice in how would be best to cheer up the prince. Knowing what they wanted to tell their son, he suggested that talking with Hannibal may be the best course of action.

Later that day, Simonetta walked sat down with her boy and had him sit on her lap. Though she felt like he was still plenty young in age to be cuddled, he always seemed so mature that he would not welcome the holding. “Hannibal, your father and I have something quite exciting to tell you…” she lead on.

“William will be coming back soon?”

“No, sweetheart,” she pet back his hair and got the feeling that it was only because he allowed it. “We don’t know when William will visit us next, though Viola did say it wouldn’t be long. No, what we want to tell you is that I’m pregnant and soon we’ll have a baby of our own here.”

Hannibal looked startled, though it was better than the constant sadness. “Our own baby? A brother or a sister?”

“Yes, a sibling just for you. And we know that you will be such great help in taking care of him when he arrives, as you’ve shown us with Will.”

“So it’s a brother? I want to name him William the second.”

Simonetta laughed. “Hannibal, we have no way of telling so early, though the priests do think it might be a girl. But no matter what, we are not naming them William, just think about how confusing that would be.”

“That’s why he’s the second, mother,” Hannibal informed her.

She chuckled again, happy to find a child hiding in her serious little son. “Oh, my boy,” she gave him a hug which he allowed just like the hair petting. “No.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So sorry this chapter took forever, I wrote a piece for the HannibalBigBang2016, and that took me a while. 
> 
> But I will now go back to updating this story semi-regularly. I hope you enjoy it!

Hannibal became as obsessed with the idea of a sibling as he was with the reality of Will. Viola and her baby visited seven times during Simonetta’s pregnancy, and these were the only instances during which Hannibal left his mother’s side.

When Will wasn’t present, he followed his mother around constantly. Morning sickness sent him in a tizzy with fear that it meant the baby was sick. It was only after his tutor explained that women nearly always were first ill when pregnant that Hannibal settled down, and the doting only got more extreme the larger her stomach grew. When the baby first kicked inside her, she had called Hannibal over to feel in moving inside and ever since then, he had a hand on his mother’s belly whenever she sat. As she grew larger still and the strain of being with child hurt her back and feet Hannibal bent to the task of rubbing her feet with oil and fetching things from all over the castle so that she walked as little as possible.

With such dedication, Hannibal was rightfully upset when he almost missed the birth of his long awaited sister.

Viola and Will had come to visit and it was hinted that it might be their last of the year as the pass was soon to be snowed in as it has the year before. This in mind, Hannibal intended to spend as much time with Will as he could. The young boy was becoming more of a toddler than an infant, talking nonsense to Hannibal as he crawled around and investigated everything within sight. After an unfortunate incident earlier that day in which the presence of one of the guards, Grutas, had Will crying hysterically, only Hannibal and Viola had been in with the boy.

Simonetta was a strong woman who took pain quietly, and already knew what to expect from labor. She was distracted by it, though, and it was so unheard of to have a man in the birthing room that it wasn’t until she could feel the baby beginning to move inside her that she thought to send for Hannibal.

Hannah was told to bring the boy, and when she found the boy he was curled up asleep around Will.

“Wake up young master,” she said, formal because she was still bitter from when she had been caught neglecting her duties with newborn William.

Hannibal mumbled himself awake, sleepy but still able to remember that he had a sleeping Will beside him. He looked up at Hannah accusingly, not knowing the news she was about to impart. When she whispered it to him, he jumped out of bed with Will in his arms. He was suddenly very unconcerned with waking the baby, and plenty occupied with seeing his new sibling.

As would seem natural, his jostling steps did wake Will, but the very young boy stayed calm in Hannibal's arms. Already he was developing empathy with everyone around him, but he was always closest with Hannibal.

He skittered into the delivery room just as the new baby was crowning and the room became hectic with all the nurses running around trying to do their jobs. Only Viola was a center of calm by Simonetta's side, and she beckoned the boys over.

"Has anyone ever told you what to expect from childbirth, Hannibal?" She asked the young boy. Calm in his arms, Will was listening just as well with far more intelligence than most his age.

Hannibal shook his head no. His tutor had given him the basics of pregnancy, but nothing else. He looked at his mothers face and, seeing the depth of pain and love, thought she had never looked more beautiful.

"When a baby is born, it comes out screaming and covered in blood. A mother must love her child more than anything to be able to bleed and push all day long, and give life to her child. Come watch," and she guided Hannibal to stand right beside her and watch as a baby girl came out wailing shrilly covered in a mixture of coagulated and fresh blood. Hannibal squeezed Will tight when he first saw her face, and Will squeezed back even though the grip was much too tight. They watched life be brought into the world.

After the nursemaids cleaned and fed her, they offered the baby to Simonetta. Instead of clutching the girl to her own chest, she then offered her to Hannibal. The boy was quick to pass Will to his own mother and hold tight his fussing sister.

"What do you think we should name her?" Simonetta asked.

Cradling perfection in his arms, Hannibal recalled a name he had once inquired after which meant 'one who is like God'. "Mischa," he whispered out into the bustling room.

His mother may have birthed a new life, but Hannibal had named it. Hannibal owned it.

Life with both Will and Mischa was warm and sweet, like a thick honeyed tea. Though Will was still far too young to take care of himself, his natural gift for reading the tone of a room had him docile and loving as he clung to Hannibal's side. 

Hannibal by no means forgot about Will, they still had a bond different than any other, but most of his attention was spent on his infant sister. The nurses called her colicy and complained often when they thought no one could hear. Hannibal, however, knew that Mischa only wanted to be doted on as a princess should be. So he held her for hours at a time, Will's baby-warm body pressed close to his side and Mischa intermittently squirming in his grasp.

This first week of his sister's life passed in a hazy of adoration with Will and Mischa always close. But on the eighth day Viola came to collect her son and be away again for winter. It was then that reality set in for Hannibal. He knew he would not always have his two closest with him. He bid Will farewell with just as much sadness as the first time, but consoled himself with his sister's presence. 

He did all the things he had done with Will as a newborn; he sung and danced and told fairytales. He cradled her weak neck the way Viola had taught him and stared adoringly into Mischa's eyes. The only difference was that this time he had stories of another loved one to share. Though she was no where near old enough to understand, Hannibal felt that she could recognize Will's name. 

By the time of Will's next visit, Mischa was beginning to sleep through the night next to her brother, and could coo encouragingly when he conversed with her. She would smile the most when Hannibal was in the room and her selective affection always had him feeling proud. 

The day of Will's arrival, Hannibal dressed her in a warm and comfortable outfit for the chill still in the air, but let his mother hold Mischa. He knew that as soon as Will was in sight he would want to hold the boy. They waited near the entranceway, Viola had sent a letter in the night saying she would arrive at noon. They were only waiting for a few minutes before they could hear the jingling bells of the Westmoreland royal carriage.

Hannibal ran out, trusting his sister to Simonetta, and was the first to greet the carriage. The last time he had seen Will the boy was still very quiet, but when the door is opened he heard a joyfully loud "Hann-bal!" right before a small body leapt into his arms, no fear that he might not be caught.

"William!" He replied, just as happy. They held each other close, Will's arms around Hannibal's neck as he nuzzled into his chest.

Viola laughed, though it seemed a bit distant. "The nannies and I can't get him to say a thing except your name. He won't even call for his mama or papa when he's cranky, he just calls for you."

Hannibal didn't detect the jealousy in her words, and even if he could he would have cared very little. In his mind, Will and Mischa were his and it was only natural that they learned to call out for him.

He whisked Will away to his private rooms and explained how Will had to stay by himself for just a moment, he would be right back. Then he ran back down with haste, something he was never seen to do about the castle, and stole Mischa from his mother's lap while Viola and Simonetta chatted. His mother hardly noticed.

Just as quickly as he had collected her, he went back up to his rooms to meet with Will.

"William, do you remember my little sister Mischa? Can you say her name?" 

"Baby," he said, and pat her head gently, though condescendingly. 

"Yes, she is a baby, my baby sister. But can you say her name?" 

"Baby Mis-a," Will attempted, and Hannibal was happy with the effort.

"Yes William, baby Mischa. She's so beautiful, isn't she? And because she's a beautiful little baby, we have to look after her, okay? Will you help me protect her?" Hannibal asked.

Will looked stern and nodded his head yes. Hannibal's heart swelled with love and pride.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, y'all! More sugary sweetness, enjoy it while the innocence lasts. :) 
> 
> Warning, not this chapter, but the next will have some canonical character death, and things will get bleak for a while. So here's to one last high before the low!
> 
> Enjoy~

Hannibal spent the rest of the day with Mischa and Will. His sister was absent for her feelings with the wetnurse, but Will was old enough to have sweeties and sandwiches with tea as long as Hannibal tore them into small bites. He even gave Will a sliver of pickle, and after his initial shock at the sourness Will demanded the rest of them on the plate.

When undisturbed by meals the three basked in the warmth of a roaring fire and each other's affects. Hannibal felt so much happiness that his heart hurt with the gentle love he had for both babies. At night, as they grew tired, he held one each in the crook of his arm and they stared at the wooden ceiling until they were all asleep.

The next day Hannibal felt guilty for it, but he left his sister in Simonetta's care and took Will out to play in patches of snow under his tutor's supervision. In the beginning Will was too shy to say anything to the strange man. However, by mid morning he was babbling nonstop due to Hannibal's insistent prompting. Hannibal was amazingly proud and kept insisting his tutor ask more and more difficult questions of Will. Whenever the baby got a wrong answer, he was quick to jump in with a lesson before his tutor could start. He didn't want Will to feel talked down to and was afraid that the boy would clam up if reprimanded by the tutor.

When Will tired of lessons he suddenly fell back into a somewhat deep pile of snow and swung his arms through it to make an angel. At the childish laugh of delight, they both joined in.

Hannibal and Will joined Mischa again at supper and saw how fussy she had been in her brother's absence. Simonetta was quick to hand her daughter back over, and was much less bitter about it than Viola had been. She loved her children, and their affection for each other soothed something deep in her heart. Hannibal had been a difficult child because of how he so often neglected to state his needs. As a baby she had to keep an eye on him constantly just to be sure he was still breathing from one minute to the next, as he hardly ever made a fuss about anything. By the time he was a healthy and demanding toddler she had discovered that he was the jealous sort, prone to holding grudges and finding deviously clever ways to get back for even small slights. Having been a youngest child herself, with siblings not even half as intelligent or covetous, she hadn't wanted to condemn an innocent child to Hannibal's wrath. Even after seeing how well he got on with Prince William she had been nervous, and now she couldn't be more glad. Hannibal finally found people to connect with, and Mischa would have a glorious defender all her life. It was everything she had dreamed of for her children. 

The children so obviously loved each other, and the two mothers had such fun in each other's company, that they were raised with frequent visits. Sometimes the Lecters would travel to Westmorland, but once Mischa was old enough to talk she would ask about the shouting she heard in the night and it made the adults uncomfortable. Hannibal didn't care as long as Corwin never yelled at his son the way he did his wife. Still, Viola preferred to avoid embarrassment and get away to Winterhaven, which suited everyone just fine.

As they grew older, Will and Mischa came to be in a sort of competition for Hannibal's favor, and they never let the other know that they each felt themselves to be the loser. If only they asked the object of their jealousy, he would say that he loved them both equally, and very differently. Mischa was his sun, she lit up every day with her smiles and her laughs. She could always be counted on to warm him inside out, and gave his soul constant nourishment and affection. William was his moon, always present even when out of sight. Will was his guide, a northern star, full of life's mystery and curiosity. Will pulled him close effortlessly, like the moon and the tides. He would have told them many things he felt about them, except how he secretly enjoyed being so coveted.

One day, after the Lecters had missed Will's fifth birthday due to a long and harsh winter blizzard, Will ran into the sibling's sitting room and interrupted the tea party Mischa had thrown in her own honor. A fight unlike any before broke out between the two. Mischa felt cheated out of time she had expected to spend with her brother, as there had been not letter forewarning of the Graham's arrival, and Will felt that he had more than earned some time with his favorite person after missing a birthday celebration and most of the winter season. Spoilt little thing she was, Mischa threw the first scratch and Will was quick to turn from angry words to a physical tussle.

Hannibal swiftly worked his way between them, but it was right as their young, uncoordinated bodies had been attempting to tackle the other with their full body weight behind the attack. They hit his legs just right and Hannibal fell, knocking his head on the stone ground.

Will ran to fetch the nearest guard, tears in his eyes, as Mischa cried out dramatically for her brother. Fortunately there was only a little gash-- it bled quite a bit though, and Will and Mischa became his most constant nurses. At any sign of discomfort from him, they practically fell over themselves to fix it until they work out how to react in tandem.

The two never fought again, and instead formed an intense friendship with Hannibal at the center. They exchanged letters constantly, sometimes even more constantly than Hannibal and Will as the former was often busy with his studies. They planned together many different ways to pamper and surprise Hannibal. 

Hannibal was only glad to see the two people he loved the most finally getting along. Things were much more enjoyable when Will came to visit as Mischa no longer bickered and begged for his sole attention, and when Will was back at his own castle sometimes Mischa would even receive word of Will's wellbeing before her brother.


End file.
